Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1887-08-20

DRIFT.
The study OF ths folklore Of dlffsssns
ysars hes received . great deal os attention,
though Il may b said to be still In IL IN
fancy. AZ belonging 10 one Of its most inter.
eating, II not most important, branches or de-
partmenta, must be regarded the history of
the origin and development Of peoples war.
songs, though strange to say II In . derart-
nent which has perhaps received less
serious attention than sny other.
Of the millions Of American mon and
women who sing, or ut least are intimately
acquainted with the dozen or more popular
airs aud songs that have come down to us
from the Revolution, the War Of 1912, Mexi.
can war; and the late Civil war, which are
played by every band, aud ground out by
| every hand.organ, how many know any.
| thing ut oil OF their suthorshih the cccssion
| Of their composition, aud their history l
| venture u say not ono In . hundred thou
| sand. This tact Is ~ true and ~ strange -
| is this other, that none uf the most popular
war; poems IN the world have been produced
by any great poet "But for his own in.
mortal lyric, neither the author OF the Mar
seiliatse" nor the suthor Of the "wacht am
| Rhein" would have hts line In the biograph.
| ical dictionaries" while Of our American
| can songs "Ysnkee Doodle" John Browns
Body" aud several others, not even the
authors are known.
| 1t Ia therefore with much satisfaction that
have just read in 1he CentUry for August
| Q highly interesting article by that diligent
young writer Brander Matthews on "The
Songs Of the War" As being one OF the first
l fhNr "a
| composition and record the history of some OF
our most popular war.songs. In his article
| he does not enter upon the strange story OF
how our fathers during the Revolution got
| hold of Yankee Doodle, though he points
| out how II with many other songs was
| clothed In music that did not originally be-
long to it. but which was "contiscated,' As
| we may say, tor the purpose. "liopkinson's
Hail Columbia tor example, was written to
| the tune Of the Presidents March, just rs
Mrs Howe's Battle Hymn OF the Republic ;
WAS written to 'John Browns Body The
Wearing OF the Green, Of the lrishman, Ia
sung to the same air a. the Benny Havsns,
I -" OF the West-Pointers The 'Star-spsngled
Banner has to make sniff with the second
I hand music of 'Anscreou in Heaven while
our national air, Yankee Doodle uses over
the notes of au old English nursery rhyme,
Lucy Locket,' once . personal lampoon in
the days OF the Beggsrs Opera aud now
surviving in the BsOy's opera' OF MIR. Wal.
| ter Crane. My County, It's Of Thee is set
| to the truly British tune OF 'God save the
King the origin OF which Is doubtful, as 1t Is
| claimed by the French and the Germans %
, we'll - the English. In the hour of battle a
var tune Is subject to the right of capture,
l and, like the cannon taken from the enemy,
| 1t Is turned SgaiDs its maker"
Another instance Is that OF "My NJ ary land, ~
the most popular song Of the South. 1t.
tune IL none other than that of the peaceful
!, | and pathetic old German lyric "Tsnnen
1 - 4
fellow - 40 Hsmlock Tree"), used also as q
well-known college song, " Lsuriger Hora
thus" How "My Mary land" got this tune IL
! thus pleasantly told in . letter from Mrs
! Prot II. Newell Martin, who when yet un
married ~ Miss Hetty Cary OF Baltimore
| WAS herself q chief actor In wedding the
| words to the music. The words OF tn - song
had been written not very long before In
New Orleans and were much admired BY
| Miss Cary. Her fathers house in Baltimore
| was the headquarters for Southern sympa.
| thizsrs who often met there but will lei
her tell the story herself given in the letter
| to Mr.. Matthews.
"The glee club" she says, "was to hold
its meeting in our psrlor one evening early
in June, aud my sister, Miss Jennie Cary
being the only musical member Of the fam
lily had charge OF the programme on the occa
sion. With . school girps eagerness to scor,
> l . success, she resolved to secure some ney
aud ardent OK preston Of feelings that by tbi
time were wrought up TO the point Of explo
e sion. In vain We searched through the stool
OF songs and sirs-nothing seemed inteus
enough to suit her. Aroused by her tone o
| dspair l came to the rescue with the suRRes
. ton that she should adapt the words o
S Maryland, my Msryland,' Nhich had beer
3 constantly on my lips since the appearance
| OF the lyric . few days before in the South
, produced the paper and began declsiminp
! the verses. .Lsuriser Horstius" she ex-
claimed, and in Q flash the immortal sons
was voiced in the stirring ~ so we'll adapted
to it That night, when her contrslto voice
rang out the stsnza, the refrain rolled forth
, from every throat present without pause OF
cstsd itself with such effect to . crowd Assem-
| sembled beneath our open window ss to en-
, | danger seriously the liberties OF the party"
Still more interesting is the history OF how
the song was given TO the Southern army
! and thence spread like wild ire over thu
whole South i: is thus graphically told In
| Mrs. Martins letter: ave were living
| she says, few weeks after the above incl
3 dent, "in Virginia in exile, when, shortl,
| after the battle OF Manassas, Gen. Besure.
8 | gard, hearing OF our labors and sutfsrings Ia
behalf OF the Mary landers who had alresd :
? ! done such gallant service In his com maDd
I | invited US to visit them at his headquarte
near Fairfax Court House, sending q pass
and su escort for ns, and the friends by
i WnOm We bnOul0 O0 accom- panied. Our
8 | party encsmped the first night In tents pre-
! | pared for US 1t Manassas with my kinsmsn
3 | Captain Sterrell, who was In charge O! the
fOrtifcstiOns there. We were serensded by
{ the famous Washington Artillery of New
Orleanr, aided by oil the fine voices within
3 | reach. Capt Sterrell expressed our thanks
, | and asked ii there we're any services w
r | might render in return. Let Us have I
) | womsn's voice. was the cry that rose in re
/ sPonse. And, standing in the tsnt-dooI
! | under cover OF the darkness, my sister sspG
, my Maryland This, l believe, was the
| birth OF the soug In the army. >. To vi
, fell the happy chance OF first giving them
, | voice. In = lew weeks my Maryland had
| found its way TO the heart Of whole people,
. and become great national song"
The stirring, fiery words OF this fsvorite
Southern hymn, whose nine stanz u are given
complete In Mr.. Matthew's article, were
written by Mr.. James X. Randall, Q native OF
BALTIMORE now living in Augusta, Ga.
Then ne was professor Of literature in Poy.
deas college In Louisiana He wrote the
poem one night In April 1861, after read ing
the nows Of the attack on the Northern
troops - they passed through Balti more
Next morning he read the poem to his stu.
dents, and then had 1t printed In the Delta
newspaper Of New Orleans whence 1t was
| CODi00 intO nearly Avarv Iutharn ion.c.I